No frills, one dessert, one starch, one vegetable. So, what did I do?
My friend Niles had recommended Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia ice cream to me on Friday evening, praised it highly. So, I bought a pint of it, the only pint left, at Walgreen’s went I got off work on Saturday. That would be Thanksgiving dessert, and that alone. Then, I bought two pints of Blue Bell ice cream as well, strawberry and vanilla, for Saturday and Sunday. But, that wasn’t too bad…
I set out for Walmart on Sunday determined to stick to my newly created principles. I have potatoes, butter, vegetables, and rice at home. I only needed to buy a couple of turkey legs or a small turkey breast, a can or two of cranberry sauce, and a package of dinner rolls to complete the picture and I am set.
And I do well enough…with everything else on my list: bananas, lettuce, tomatoes, pasta, beans, yogurt, coffee creamer, pasta. But I don’t buy anything for Thanksgiving, no rolls, no cranberry sauce. I don’t want turkey legs, I decide, or at least not Walmart’s. I decided this without looking at Walmart’s turkey legs. Their meat is always overpriced and I don’t want to settle for what they have. I will buy turkey legs at Costco. And, maybe some muffins. They make the best muffins. Apple crisp. Large muffins. One dozen for $7.99, which is a great deal.
I buy a pack of tuna, a dozen cans for my stockpile. COVID-19 numbers are climbing in Missouri and we are in a partial shutdown. That’s why Niles and I went out on Friday, because the restaurants would be closing down soon. Something tells me to buy another bag of coffee beans. I already have two, but I buy another one, anyway. It feels like a good idea; I ran out of Costco’s Kirkland brand (Colombian Supremo) during the shutdown and Costco ran out two. I was forced to buy something else from Amazon; it was fine, if a little mild. I don’t run out if there is another full shutdown. I’ll limit myself to one cup a day , if I have to.
And, then, everything changes. I’m looking over the meat section when I get another thought: pot roast with potatoes and carrots, slow-cooked in my crockpot for 8 to 10 hours. That’s sounds more like it. But, I don’t buy the pot roast. I buy a package of two thick steaks (top round); I have never tried my pot roast recipe with steak, I want to see how it turns out, if there is any noticeable difference. I got to the huge refrigerated produce section and buy some carrots, four pounds for five dollars. That’s a lot of carrots. I might have to make another roast next week, just so I don’t waste them.
I tried to walk away, mentally, from the muffins. I don’t need the muffins. They are unnecessary calories and I should be losing weight. But, they would taste so good with a cup of creamy coffee at breakfast, or as a snack. But, I’m not overeating for Thanksgiving, so…
I buy them and almost escape with my promise intact, but…
Costco has its own bakery. The bakery makes rolls, those great muffins, and pies, there are these great, these huge thirteen, fourteen-inch pies sitting out, stacked one on top of the other, next the the muffins. Sweet potato pies and pecan pies. I love pecan pies. The little minis you buy in the store; I love those. This huge pecan pie is beckoning to me with memories of how sweet a pecan pie can be, and I say, “What the heck?”, and place it in the cart before my rational side, before my promise, can stop me, and I head right for the self-checkout section.
Maybe if I had bought the turkey legs.
So, it’s a pint of ice cream and pecan pie for dessert, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Mark Earnest Johnson 